College Basketball: Ryan Arcidiacono leads Villanova past St. John's

RADNOR ó Ryan Arcidiacono had the best offensive game of his young career and JayVaughn Pinkston had his most productive game of the season, but it was Darrun Hilliard who came to Villanovaís rescue Wednesday night.

The 6-6 sophomore guard scored six of his 14 points in overtime to lift the Wildcats to a 98-86 triumph over St. Johnís in the Big East opener for both teams.

Arcidiacono scored 17 of his career-high 32 points in the first half and Pinkston saved 18 of his season-best 26 points in the second half and overtime, but it was Hilliard who made sure Villanovaís winning streak reached six games.

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Hilliard hit two free throws in overtime to break an 83-all deadlock and stepped in front of a DeAngelo Harrison pass and turned it into a layup 23 seconds later. Hilliard turned about steal into a layup before fouling out with 41.7 seconds to play.

The Wildcats had a 93-83 lead when he headed to the bench and that was enough to give Villanova its seventh win over the Red Storm in the last eight meetings between the teams.

Hilliardís heroics along with the offensive show put on by Arcidiacono and Pinkston enabled the Wildcats (10-4 overall, 1-0 Big East) to overcome a career-high 36-point effort by St. Johnís guard DeAngelo Harrison. It also made up for another sloppy performance in which the Wildcats turned the ball over 17 times, committed 18 fouls and allowed a St. Johnís team that came into the game last in the Big East in 3-point field goal percentage to shoot 10-for-17 from beyond the arc

Once again, Ryan Arcidiacono and JayVaughn Pinkston came to the rescue for Villanova.

Arcidiacono and Harrison, along with the fouls and turnovers, were the story in the first half. The pair combined for 38 points while the teams combined for 24 personal fouls and 22 turnovers in the opening 20 minutes.

Arcidiacono put on a show from beyond the 3-point arc, hitting 4 of 6 en route to 17 points that helped the Wildcats overcome 13 turnovers and take a 43-40 lead into the locker room at halftime. The 6-3 freshman was forced to pick up the offensive slack when leading scorer James Bell went to the bench with 11:44 to play after picking up his second personal foul.

As good as Arcidianco was, though, Harrison was better. The 6-3 sophomore scored 21 points in the first half on 7-for-13 shooting that included 4-for-6 from 3-point range, something no one expected from the Red Storm. St. Johnís came into game last in the Big East in 3-point field goals made per game (3.92) and 11th in 3-point field goal percentage (32.6), but found Villanovaís atrocious 3-point defense to their liking, making 6 of 10 attempts from deep.

The Red Storm also took advantage of Villanovaís sloppy play. St. Johnís turned 13 Wildcat turnovers into 18 points, but that was not enough to give the visitors from New York the lead at the break.

Hilliard and Pinkston saw to that. Hilliard hit a pair of free throws and then fed Pinkston for a pair of buckets to put the Wildcats in front, 43-38. Harrison and Garrett hit one free throw each to make it a one possession game at halftime.

Arcidiacono cooled off in the second half, but that did not slow down the Wildcats. Pinkston was there to shoulder the offensive load. The 6-6, 240-pound redshirt sophomore scored 12 points as the Wildcats turned a 50-46 advantage into a 68-60 lead with just under 10 minutes to play in the game.

Harrison, though, would not let the Red Storm go quietly. The man who torched the Wildcats for 28 points in Madison Square Garden last year, drilled a 3-pointer, his fifth of the game, to ignite a 12-5 that allowed the Red Storm to tie the game, 72-all.

That outburst came while Pinkston was on the bench for a much-deserved breather. It did not take him long to make his presence felt once he returned to the lineup. The burly forward drove in for a layup to break the deadlock and hit two free throws as Villanova stretched its lead to 78-74.

But that did not faze the Red Storm. Greene scored five points to cap a 7-0 run that gave St. Johnís its first lead of the second half, 81-78. Hilliard was fouled attempting a 3-pointer and drilled all three free throws to tie it. Pinkston hit both ends of a two-shot foul to put the Wildcats up, 83-81. Harrison drove the lane, drew a foul and made both halves of a one-and-one to tie it, 83-83, with 4.5 seconds left.

Villanova has one last try, but Pinkston could not get the ball past the half-court line.